Opening up the Isle of Wight

A new gate has been opened to walkers on a path in Brighstone, making the route from the village to the England Coast Path accessible to people with impaired mobility. The Brighstone gate is part of the Isle of Wight Ramblers’ Donate a Gate scheme, through which some 284 gates have been installed.

The new gate marks 25 years of the Isle of Wight Walking Festival which provides a huge boost to the island's economy in spring and autumn, outside peak holiday season. Look out for the next event, with many walks hosted by Isle of Wight Ramblers volunteers, in May 2025. 

 Silver celebration in Sheffield

Congratulations to Step Out Sheffield, whose volunteers recently celebrated 25 years of delivering health walks in the city.

The biggest volunteer-led accessible walk scheme in the country, Step Out Sheffield offers free, fun and sociable short walks in 24 locations each week as part of the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks programme. The group’s anniversary event was literally a walk in the park, with 50 volunteers and guests strolling from Endcliffe Park Cafe to Sheffield Botanical Gardens for a celebratory afternoon tea.

Learn more about Ramblers Wellbeing Walks and find one near you.

Sustainable crossing in Cirencester

When Jean Clemence, a founder member of Cirencester Ramblers, died in 2021, she left a legacy to the group in her will. Group members decided to use the money to replace an old wooden footbridge that was in poor repair with a state-of-the-art Polydeck bridge constructed from 850 recycled plastic bottles. The new bridge should last 70 years – more than double the lifespan of a wooden bridge.

After two years of research, planning and negotiations, the Clemence Bridge was officially opened in September – coinciding with Cirencester Ramblers’ 50th anniversary. The group would like to thank Gloucestershire’s public rights of way team, which paid for the installation and made improvements to the adjacent path.

Discover how you could follow in Jean’s footsteps and leave a legacy to the Ramblers to support future generations of walkers.

Paths to prosperity in Powys

What a transformation! These photos are an example of the impact of Paths to Prosperity – a collaborative effort to develop trails in Welshpool, Llangorse and Coelbren to boost community engagement, create economic opportunities and improve visitors’ experience of the area.

Powys County Council and Ramblers Cymru are building on the success of their previous partnership work, helping local volunteers develop practical skills in navigation, trail development and path maintenance, as well as improving signage and infrastructure for walkers. A series of online route guides for the new and improved trails is in development.

Contact Stephen Arnold to find out more about volunteering with the Ramblers in Welshpool, Coelbren and Llangorse.

Jason’s hundred hikes

Congratulations to volunteer walk leader Jason Collins-Owen, who recently celebrated leading his 100th walk for Berkshire Walkers, a ramblers group for people in their 20s and 30s. Jason took the group on a picturesque 19km/12-mile journey along the White Horse Trail, ending with a well-deserved rest at The Crown Inn.

Fancy becoming a walk leader like Jason? Find out how to get started, and discover Ramblers training and resources to support you.

Great gates for Buckinghamshire

These volunteers in North Buckinghamshire go by the delightful name of rRIPPLE: Ramblers Repairing & Improving Public Paths for Leisure & Exercise. The 10-strong team has been working together for almost a decade, improving infrastructure for local walkers with support from Buckinghamshire Council. At the time of writing, they’ve installed an incredible 356 gates (the photo shows the 350th). Team member Bill Piers will be sharing the secrets of rRIPPLE’s success at the next Ramblers Footpath Forum on 29 January.

Book a free place at January’s online Ramblers Footpath Forum

Restored right of way in Merthyr

A path that was unused for many years is now walkable again thanks to Merthyr Valley Ramblers’ path-clearing team. Helped by Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council, Active Merthyr Tydfil, Natural Resources Wales, Tydfil Training and Dawn Bowden MS, the Ramblers volunteers were able to restore and reopen the public right of way between Blaencanaid Farm and Heolgerrig Quarry. At a ceremony on 25 September, Councillor Geraint Thomas took a machete to the last barrier to the path and declared it open.

Livingston lifesavers

In October, Livingston Ramblers’ weekend walk took a dramatic turn when they came across a young man on a bridge, about to take his own life. The group managed to approach and calm the man, remove him from immediate danger and walk him to the nearest village, where police were able to help. The police were extremely grateful to the ramblers – and we’d like to say a huge thank you, too.

Ynys Mon’s boardwalk brigade

After our feature on Britain’s best boardwalks in the autumn issue of walk, we were sent this stunning drone photograph (taken by Doug Kennedy – doug@doug-kennedy.com) showing members of Ynys Mon Ramblers’ path maintenance team working on the boardwalk at Coed Mor Llanfairpwll. Thirteen volunteers joined two members of Anglesey County Council’s highways department to build the final seven metres of boardwalk, lay anti-slip strips on a previously built section, strim encroaching vegetation and install a waymarker.